Guy Harvey, AFTCO and Partners Raise $500,000 in 30 Days for Gulf Marine Life Affected by Oil Spill

AFTCO Bluewater, the official licensee and manufacturer of Guy Harvey fishing clothing, fishing t-shirts, and coastal lifestyle apparel, and Guy Harvey, known as the world's premier marine wildlife artist and renown marine biologist and conservationist, today announced that in just one month they sold out of 50,000 special edition Guy Harvey "Save Our Gulf" fishing T-shirts. $10 of each shirt sold was donated to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation (GHOF), for a total of $500,000 that will be used to support needed marine life research in the Gulf of Mexico. AFTCO Bluewater has ceased production and is no longer selling the t-shirts at their official online store, GuyHarveySportswear.com, but limited quantities are still available at retail outlets for the next few weeks.

Even though oil is no longer flowing into the Gulf from the BP spill, and it is reported that over 70% of the spilled oil is now gone due primarily to evaporation and bacteria consumption, there is no doubt that marine life in the Gulf has been impacted. The $500,000 will be used to increase our understanding of how it has been impacted and what possible solutions exist both for now and in the case of future mishaps. The money raised from the sale of the special Guy Harvey T-shirts will be set aside in a separate fund within the GHOF and will be granted to research projects that Guy Harvey and the GHOF Board believe will bring the most future benefit to marine life of the Gulf.

Many questions need to be answered such as what impact the spill has had on planktonic animals, fish eggs, larvae and juvenile fish. Also, if it is found that there has been a significant impact on an important sportfish species such as bluefin tuna, grouper, cobia, red snapper, redfish, seatrout, or flounder, the research will look at how that impact affects future stocks.

"Our thanks go out to all who added to the $10 contribution which included Guy Harvey, AFTCO Bluewater, our reps, our suppliers and our retail partners," said Bill Shedd, President of AFTCO Bluewater. "We also thank the consumers who made this possible with their strong support of these specific shirts and the Guy Harvey brand. Our original goal was to sell 10,000 T-shirts and raise $100,000. For us to raise $500,000 in just a month is quite a unique and significant accomplishment. Meaningful support of the marine resource is part of the culture and DNA with both Guy Harvey and AFTCO Bluewater. This Save Our Gulf T-shirt effort was both fun and rewarding for all of us."

In 2009 AFTCO Bluewater contributed over $200,000 from Guy Harvey Sportswear sales to the GHOF for their use to help protect, conserve, enhance and better understand the marine resource. This contribution is exclusive of any contributions AFTCO Bluewater will make this year from the sale of all Guy Harvey Sportswear items.

"The response to our two "Save our Gulf" t-shirts has been quite remarkable in a very short period of time," said Guy Harvey. "I truly appreciate all of our retail partners and fans who supported the initiative. There is much research work still to be done to determine the short and long term effect of the oil spill on our fishery resources. The funds raised from the sale of my two Gulf of Mexico designs will go to fund some important fishery research by some of the top Gulf Coast marine researchers."

About Guy Harvey Sportswear
Guy Harvey Sportswear represents a full line (over 7,000 styles and sizes) of high quality Guy Harvey Men's fishing t-shirts featuring his extraordinary detailed paintings of big game fish like marlin, sailfish, tuna and more, in addition to other men's fishing clothing like tech and performance shirts, fishing shorts, fishing hats, belts, shoes, and sandals. There is also a wide selection of Women's clothing including dresses, skirts, shorts, knits, tanks, and tops, in addition to popular new Junior's and Young Men's t shirt lines featuring more youthful designs and a slimmer cut. The Youth department includes fishing shirts, t-shirts, and hats. Guy Harvey Sportswear is available at many retail locations as well as online at http://www.guyharveysportswear.com. (A retailer locator is available on the si women's jackets te.)

Media Contact
Laura Hernandez
laura(at)aftco(dot)com
949-660-8757

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Harrow Sports and the College Squash Association Renew Sponsorship Agreement

Harrow Sports and the College Squash Association (CSA) have signed a three-year sponsorship agreement. This renewed agreement keeps Harrow Sports as the official equipment supplier of the CSA.

According to Shona Kerr, Women's CSA President, "We are extremely excited to continue our sponsorship arrangement. Harrow's squash gear has become a fixture in the college squash world."

Harrow Sport's racquets, shoes, clothes, and accessories are used by hundreds of players in the CSA. In addition, many top professional and amateur squash players use Harrow equipment.

According to Harrow Sports' Dave Rosen, "We are extremely pleased with the relationship that has developed between Harrow and the CSA and it was a very easy decision to extend our sponsorship for another three years. The CSA has grown steadily over the course of our agreement and I hope we continue to work with the ever-expanding programs to provide great squash equipment to all of the CSA schools for years to come."

"Like the CSA, Harrow is very focused on squash teams. Harrow women's jackets 's customized racquets, bags, and clothing have helped make team bonds stronger for players, parents, and fans," adds Bob Callahan, CSA Men's President.

Harrow Sports will have a presence at the Women's National Team Championships – Howe Cup (February 18th – 21st, hosted by Princeton University), the Men's National Team Championships (February 25th – 27th, hosted by Harvard University), and the Individual Championships (March 4th – 6th, hosted by Dartmouth College).

About the College Squash Association:

The College Squash Association (CSA) is the governing body for men's and women's intercollegiate squash in the United States. It ranks players and teams, establishes and enforces rules, hosts annual individual and team championships, and archives college squash history. There are approximately 100 men's and women's collegiate squash programs in the United States. The CSA is dedicated to growing college squash. For additional information, visit http://CollegeSquashAssociation.com.

About Harrow Sports:

Harrow Sports is a recognized leader in high performance composite technology for sports equipment. Since its inception, Harrow has led the industry in game changing composites in squash, lacrosse, ice hockey and field hockey. For additional information, visit http://www.harrowsports.com or contact Dave Rosen (Tel: 303-889-9891 or Email: drosen(at)harrowsports(dot)com).

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Debenhams Reveals Lumberjack Shirt Sales Shooting up as the Cold Snap Bites

Debenhams department store is reporting sales of the traditional long-sleeved check shirts have shot up 65 per cent on last year, making the garment the key item to get through the cold snap.

Once ridiculed as the clothing of simple, hulking woodsmen, and lampooned by Monty Python, the lumberjack style mens shirts?(http://www.debenhams.com/men/shirts ) have moved on from fashion foible to must-have according to department store Debenhams.

Inspired by the likes of Prince Harry, David Beckham, Justin Timberlake and Robert Pattinson, it seems you no longer need to have the backdrop of a forest and chainsaw in hand to carry off the look.

However, with the Met Office predicting continual snow showers, Debenhams stores are gearing up for the rush. More lumberjack styles have been brought in and extra stock has been sent to more stores to cope with the demand.

Ruth Attridge, spokesperson for Debenhams said, "Although the lumberjack look is back in vogue, the chunky check shirt is now more likely to be worn out on the town than slogging away in the forests.

"Modern man has been influenced by these uber-masculine folklore heroes but unlike the figure made famous by Monty Python, these days lumberjack shir fashion coats ts are more likely to be worn with a t-shirt underneath, not lingerie".

Influenced by designers such as Dolce & Gabbana and Tommy Hilfiger parading the woodcutter look on the catwalk, the on-trend way to wear checks is in bold colours, with two pockets rather than four, sleeves rolled up, layered over a plain t-shirt and in lightweight brushed cotton as well as heavyweight wool flannel.

Initially designed for colder weather, lumberjack shirts (http://www.debenhams.com/men/shirts ) have been redesigned in many formats including lighter shirt. This means its wear is not restricted to the winter months and the trend is expected to continue into Spring/Summer 2011.

Attridge added, "A lumberjack shirt embodies the rugged, rebellious spirit of the wilderness. Sporting one, whether in Canada or Croydon, ensures you will endure the winter toasty warm and stay ahead of the fashion pack".

About Debenhams:
Debenhams is a leading department stores group with a strong presence in key product categories including women's and men's fashion with a wide range of mens jeans (http://www.debenhams.com/men/jeans ), mens clothing?(http://www.debenhams.com/men ), mens jackets (http://www.debenhams.com/men/coats-jackets ), kid's clothing, home, perfume gifts and health and beauty.

Debenhams is the second largest department store chain in the UK.

Debenhams operates 167 stores in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark, comprising 154 full department stores and 13 Desire by Debenhams stores, which is a small store concept featuring an edited product range. Debenhams also has 60 international franchise stores in 23 countries. Debenhams online store can be found at Debenhams.com, where shoppers can find out all about the latest products to reach Debenhams's via Debenhams TV.

For more information, please contact:
Ruth Attridge
PR Manager
Menswear,?Beauty, International & Retail Services
Debenhams
33 Wigmore Street
London
W1U 1QX
0207 529 0172
http://www.debenhams.com

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Girls Make History, Too. Shirin Bridges' New Series of Books Provides Historic Role Models for Young Girls--Just in Time for Women’s History Month

Award-winning children's author Shirin Yim Bridges believes girls can never have too many role models. "March is Women's History Month," explains the creator of a new series of books for girls ages 9-13 called The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses. "What better time to expose young girls to other young girls who've accomplished incredible things throughout history?"

Bridges, the author of Ruby's Wish and The Umbrella Queen, does just that in an enlightening series on real princesses who've accomplished incredible things in their own right. The stories offer the romance and enchantment associated with royalty and princesses—along with a message of youthful female empowerment. "These are princesses who didn't just sit around waiting to be rescued. Against great odds, they made their own lives, and changed their worlds."

The series, aimed at girls ages 9-13, includes histories of six princesses: Hatshepsut of Egypt, Artemisia of Caria, Sorghaghtani of Mongolia, Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman, Isabella of Castile, and Nur Jahan of India. (Complete with pronunciation guides!) The books are richly illustrated with photographs and maps, and lovely pen-and-watercolor paintings by Albert Nguyen, whose art helps to bring the stories of these fascinating girls vividly to life.

The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses brings Shirin Bridges' lyrical storytelling to some of the most inspiring—and little known—tales in history. They're the first offerings from Goosebottom Books, Bridges' fledgling new press.

"I'm a big believer in fun non-fiction for girls of this age. These princesses are incredible role models of empowerment. Their stories are fascinating in their own right, but also hold powerful lessons for children—lessons that we aim to sneak through in a fun and palatable way. We call it 'stealth education.'"

"The fascination with princesses seems innate in little girls," says Bridges, whose multi-cultural storytelling reflects her years living all over the globe. "But when girls reach a certain age they want a little more meat. We believe this series is the perfect move on from Disney princesses and fairy tales—and a good antidote to the all-too-pervasive message that girls should look pretty, sit around, and wait to be rescued by a prince."

The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses is designed to whet not only a sense of independence, but an appetite for learning through women's jackets reading, well into the future.

Work has already begun on Goosebottom's second series, The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Dastardly Dames, which will include volumes by six contributing authors.

For more information, visit http://www.goosebottombooks.com.
Media contact: Victor Gulotta, Gulotta Communications, Inc.
617-630-9286, victor(at)booktours(dot)com
http://www.booktours.com
Biographical Information

Shirin Yim Bridges comes from a family of writers and artists. Her first book, Ruby's Wish, was named one of the Best Children's Books of 2002 by Publishers Weekly, and won the Ezra Jack Keats awards for Best Writer and Best Illustrator in 2003. It is on several state reading lists, has been translated into six languages, and is now in its ninth edition.

Shirin's second book, The Umbrella Queen, made TIME/CNN's Top 10 Lists: Best Children's Books 2008, and was named one of the Best Children's Books of 2008 by the Bank Street College of Education. The Umbrella Queen has been translated into Chinese and Japanese.

Her third book, Mary Wrightly So Politely, will be published in fall 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Shirin is also the head goose at Goosebottom Books, a fledgling new press that focues on "fun non-fiction." Goosebottom Books has just launched their first series, The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses.

Shirin has lived in many countries around the world—Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and England—as is reflected in her writing. She was educated in the United States and now nests in California.

Six new titles

Hatshepsut of Egypt
By Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
ISBN 978-0-9845098-0-5, cloth, $18.95

Artemisia of Caria
By Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
ISBN 978-0-9845098-1-2, cloth, $18.95

Sorghaghtani of Mongolia
By Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
ISBN 978-0-9845098-2-9, cloth, $18.95

Qutlugh Terkan Khatun of Kirman
By Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
ISBN 978-0-9845098-3-6, cloth, $18.95

Isabella of Castile
By Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
ISBN 978-0-9845098-4-3, cloth, $18.95

Nur Jahan of India
By Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Albert Nguyen
ISBN 978-0-9845098-5-0, cloth, $18.95

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Author Tom Mathews Explores Poverty and Hardship in Old India

In India, "devadasi" is the religious tradition of marrying young women to deities, so they can serve the gods as temple dancers. With his newly published novel, Devadasi, "A Nun's Story", Tom Matthews reveals the startling truth of the impoverishment that plagues struggling families in India, and how many daughters have no other choice but to dedicate their lives to the gods in order to spare their families from the burden of financially supporting them.

The story begins with Rosemarie, an average Indian girl who goes to school and studies diligently. She enjoys talking with her friend Gladys and aspires to study at the university to become a doctor. Her father Antony works as a manual laborer, while her mother Anna is a simple housewife, they are both devout Catholics who love Rosemarie and do everything they can to support her. She is introduced to a handsome young man named Ouseph, Gladys' cousin, and they take a liking to each other. They continue on seeing each other when, one evening, while they are alone by the river, Ouseph takes it too far and ends up violating Rosemarie.

Rosemarie discovers that she is pregnant with Ouseph's child. Her family is shocked but they console her and, as the father, Antony, confronts the man responsible, however Ouseph's wealthy father manages to keep him from being held accountable. Unable to do anything, Antony goes back home to his family, and works even harder to support his daughter and her unborn child. When the baby is delivered, there is another mouth to feed, and another child to clothe and shelter, but together the family tries to make ends meet. Rosemarie sees the difficulties her parents have to endure, as well as the fates of the other impoverished families around her, and realizes that only God can solve their problems. Silently, she contemplates a choice that will change their lives forever. To save her family, she must give up her hopes, her dreams, and all the things most important to her.

Devadasi, "A Nun's Story" is a touching work that will resonate with readers of every stripe, as the story of Rosemarie and her family represents the story of countless daughters and families in the Third World. Though set in colonial India, the realities of Mathews' novel still apply today as the gulf betwe Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) en rich and poor continues to widen, and as those on the bottom rung of society struggle just to survive each passing day.

For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author
Tom Mathews was born in a middle-class family in the heartland of the tropical Kerala State in India. He wrote and published articles in prominent magazines in Kerala, and wrote in professional journals following his immigration to the USA. His first novel in English, Ganga Puthri: Aparna's Story, was widely acclaimed by the Indian community in the USA, and Devadasi, "A Nun's Story" is his second novel in English.

Devadasi, "A Nun's Story" * by Tom Mathews
Publication Date: September 5, 2012
Trade Paperback; $19.99; 137 pages; 978-1-4797-0835-2
Trade Hardback; $29.99; 137 pages; 978-1-4797-0836-9
eBook; $3.99; 978-1-4797-0837-6

Members of the media who wish to review this book may request a complimentary paperback copy by contacting the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7879.

For more information on self-publishing or marketing with Xlibris, visit http://www.Xlibris.com. To receive a free publishing guide, please call (888) 795-4274.

From A Declining Engineering Industry To Opportunities and Dreams

After 16 years within the engineering industry and numerous close encounters with redundancy, Paul Walsh's turn finally came. On March 16th, 2006, his chosen career path as an engineer hit a major hurdle.

Although still enthusiastic about this field Paul highlights his views on how the engineering industry is currently. "As all manufacturing personnel watch and hope, the inevitable happens. Customers slowly but surely obtain cheaper suppliers from overseas and start transferring business from our high quality long established engineering firms. Now in fairness, they have to do this to survive themselves, to move with the market." Paul remembers it was a gut wrenching experience. Although his first week or so was sustained by shock and disbelief that it had happened to him. The following months of job applying within a limited field and a high quantity of applicants was making Paul become disillusioned.

As his school teachers used to say to him, "No matter where you are in life or where you have been, opportunity is at your feet, if your willing to put in the effort."

Paul stated that he could have sat there and waited for jobs to come to him, rely on his many contacts (pestering them about vacancies) or taken a minimum wage job, but Paul knew he wanted more. Although applying for lesser qualified jobs than he deemed appropriate, he remembers, "it was a heart breaking experience" – he had hit a milestone. At this point, Paul sat up and stated to himself, "I know many business owners who are out there making it happen and they are not particularly special individuals by any means. They just have "guts and determination." This "die hard - no excuse" attitude will often get you where you want go in life"

From the numerous business books which he has read throughout his life, there is one message which he emphasised which comes from them all.

"You can have the best plan or business idea in the world but if there is no action behind the theory, it stays where it is – gathering dust on the shelves, with all the other great ideas."

When Paul was redundant and all his efforts were going into job hunting as the money was declining and whittling away, there was only one thing for Paul which he states was worse. "I think most men will agree with me on this, it was walking around the shops with his wife looking for items which were not a necessity or he couldn't really afford." Paul remembers the money arguments in his house came and went on a daily basis. Paul stated that, "Problems would always appear to be doubled when you have no money in your pocket." Just as the shopping trip gave him a dreaded experience and a face like he was sucking lemons, an idea came to him. "Hope and dreams come with an end goal and the 'in-betweeny' details were irrelevant." He just knew what he wanted. Paul wanted to run his own flexible business, where he could also have spare time when he wanted it doing the things which he enjoyed and not be pulled or governed by set hours.

With the little money he had, he set up an online company called the "http://www.onestop-manshop.co Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) m." Which is a shopping site for men and women, which caters for gifts to any household item you may require. On offer is numerous categories where you can purchase CDs, DVDs, books, clothes, gadgets, sports equipment, electrical goods and many more items. The no fuss way. All goods delivered to your door via tried and tested businesses. Paul also reviews products on a fortnightly basis and reviews his findings. He enthusiastically states, "Instead of trundling the streets with a miserable face, you can spend time with your family or just doing what you want to do in your leisure time." Although Paul is still on the rocky road and facing new challenges each day, he is on the way towards his goals.

His heart still goes out to the engineering industry personnel who he sees on the news and reads about in the papers being made redundant on a fortnightly/monthly basis.

His message is this: "Do not wait as he did, start a part time business for additional income – there is nothing worse than someone else being in charge or potentially effecting your future and happiness. Action is foremost. The trial and error phase is so important. You don't learn anything from doing things correctly, you learn from failure and lack of understanding. Don't be afraid to fail – never be afraid to ask, learn from it and move on. Have your goal and apply action to it. Remember 'struggle' is the first phase, which you must go through. Once you get past this, opportunities will come and your goals will be achievable."

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Netishop Announces New Shopping Engine Capabilities -- a Shopping Engine with a Wide Selection, it has Made Major Advances in its Services

Online comparison shopping website, NetiShop, established by Liccy Fuentes, recently implemented a series of features to its search functions, which gives site visitors more charge over the way of searching for products in a user-friendly design. These upgrades were made by their small but skilled team of programmers to make your browsing experience enjoyable and simple.

The selection of products represented on the Netishop website make it easy to jump from one search to another. If you are searching for a heavy duty air compressor for a roofing job, then suddenly, you realize you need to buy new boots, you can just click the appropriate category and voila! You can purchase the boots you need and return to the air compressors for final review and purchase.

Other great features of the website are its abilities to filter your results by price, brand, and store, as well as being able to sort by different factors like relevancy, shopping price range, and highest rated and most popular product. When you search for a product of any type, Netishop sends out signals all over the web to find the perfect prices and values on that product and presents them to you side by side on the website so that you can select which product is the right one for you. Top brands from around the world are included in the search results so you see the best offerings in that product line.

About Netishop

Netishop is a Comparison Shopping Engine founded in 2009 by Liccy Fuentes and co-founded by Mike Neder in cooperation with the United Stores shopping engine project. It offers a an online social shopping community, comparison shopping, and product reviews. With thousands of merchants, and millions of products, you'll find what you are searching for every time, at a great price.

Netishop's owner, Liccy Fuentes, launched her career as a front end web programmer at popular Latin American Internet Portal, Dominitech, in Santo Domingo and later on moved on to some key roles in some well known companies such as AOL Inc, Digitas, and Redcats USA, to name a few. Now L Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) iccy is building her own shopping engine in cooperation with the United Stores project which operates in conjunction with her former and first employer, Dominitech.

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